I hope this is an acceptable topic for a post.. if not, I apologize!

I have always been fascinated by space, the universe, the celestial bodies in the sky. I had this book of constellations when I was a little kid that I would look at and study every day, then go outside on our deck and compare it to the sky. I always wanted a telescope, but we never had the money for it. I never even looked out of a telescope.

Until now. My best friend has a house upstate, and her family has a Meade Autostar telescope, I think it's 5.1"? They never use it, not once, and we were both really interested in being able to look at Jupiter because we are outside on the deck every night and are always noticing it. So her parents brought it down from their house, and she brought it over here.

We set it up.. could not figure out the controller and autostar aspect of it, I think the batteries are dead, it would not calibrate North even when pointing to the north. But I realized you don't really NEED it..

So I messed around with it, learned how to move it fluidly.. and got the lens centered on Jupiter.

I will never ever forget that feelings of seeing it. It was incredible. To see the planet itself, and the bands around it, and all four moons was just breathtaking. It really made me feel so small, but made everything seem so majestic. I could not stop staring. I will never ever forget that.

Then I decided to look at the moon.. Once again, incredible is the only word I could use to describe it. There's seeing the moon with your own eyes, seeing HD pictures online.. and then seeing it through a telescope. My heart started beating fast ( I know, I sound so dramatic.. but it truly was incredible). It was beautiful.. and so bright. Seeing all of those craters so clearly with my own eyes was, again, something I will never forget.

Now I am out there every night, looking at the stars, amazed at how many you can see through the telescope that you can't see with the naked eye (Especially here on Long Island, with so much light pollution around) and I am anxious awaiting the next opportunity to see another planet, while still enjoying Jupiter before it moves on.

I wanted to ask you all, do you remember your first time looking through a telescope? Were you a child? Or were you like me, and missed out your whole life and didn't use one until adulthood? What did you look for first? How did it make you feel?

I do wish I could see galaxies and star clusters through the telescope, but I don't think it's big enough for that. I am still just very happy observing the moon and stars, and the planets as they get into the perfect spot. This has totally made me want to save up to get a much much bigger telescope in the future

My first look through a telescope was at the moon. As chance would have it, my scope was pointed at a small mountain range. It was the most awesome thing I had ever seen, until my next target. I pointed my scope at a bright point of light, thinking that it was Jupiter, but was I ever surprised to find Saturn in my view! This before the internet could tell me exactly where to find what in the sky . It was tiny, but I could easily tell that the rings were down in front, and it just...hung there, suspended in space. It was a quiet night, and to this day I can remember feeling almost like I was actually in space looking at it. That was truly magical.

I visited many more heavenly objects following that: Jupiter, the Pleiades, the Orion Nebula (which is pretty disappointing through a scope), the Andromeda galaxy. I toy with the idea of buying another scope once in a while. Who knows, maybe someday.

/TOA

that's really observant of you to notice the cloud bands the first time! Most people think it is an optical artifact. The Moon is pretty much full right now but if you get the chance to see it through the telescope while it is a cresent it will blow you away. During a crescent Moon the shadows highlight the craters and give features considerable more depth.

You can look at pretty pictures online but to think that a photon blasted from the Sun has actually travelled millions of miles, bounced off a molecule in Jupiters atmosphere, traveleld millions of miles to Earth, and that exact same photon has hit your eye, well that's just amazing.

I love that there are people who have the phylisophical intelect to really appreciate what they are seeing when they look at the night sky.

Saturn is on the other side of the solar system right now and behind the Sun so you will have to wait several months before it is good viewing again. The rings have had a few years to tilt off axis again so when it does come around it should be spectacular.

The Hercules cluster is high above us this time of year and if you can get to a fairly dark area you should be able to see it fairly well with a 5 inch scope.

Also check out Albirio. It is an obvious colored double which is neat to see.

Andromeda Galaxy should be pretty good with a 5 inch if you use the lowest power eye piece (largest mm number).

I remember the first time I looked at a planet through a telescope, it was a decent power handheld telescope and my dad helped me to point it at Saturn, I saw the rings and it freaked me out! I was about 7 so I'm not sure what I was scared of haha.

Just a tip, for the usage of the Meade telescope. OK, I have a Celestron, but I guess the same could apply to the Meade too. The internal batteries are a waste. On my small telescope, a 6", that I take into the field, if I use the internal batteries, I can't auto-align in the cold. If I use an external battery pack, everything works fine, so maybe you should try an external supply.

If you think Jupiter is cewl, wait until you see Saturn!!!!

I own 3 telescopes, and observe frequently. The thing to know about observing deep sky objects, is that these objects are obviously VERY far away, therefore the light is very feeble. You can see galaxies, globular clusters, and nebulae even with a 4 inch telescope, but it's all about the location, seeing conditions, and patience. But especially about location. You'll need a dark observing site to properly spot galaxies, as the light can be spread out, and light pollution will EASILY ruin the view. Although you can view these objects in the city, it's just difficult and less satisfying. Another thing to consider, is you have to be realistic. Even through my 10 inch dob, galaxies are nowhere near the colorful, close up shots that you normally see on sites and magazines. Through the eyepiece in a dark observing site, you'll at best see a greyish/blue smudge. Some larger, most smaller. The Andromeda galaxy is an amazing object to view, even in light polluted skies. Use averted vision when viewing. (Don't always look directly at the object.. look to the side as well. You'll notice the object appears brighter.) Over time, you'll pick up techniques to becoming a better observer. What shape is the galaxy? Is it an edge-on galaxy? Do you notice any hints of its spiral structure? Or is it an elliptical galaxy?

Edit: If you do live in a light polluted area, it would be best to begin observing globular clusters and nebulae before moving onto galaxies. Globular clusters are fairly bright and can be viewed in most locations. I live in the heart of Orange County, CA and I can view most globular clusters and nebulae from the Messier catalog with my 10 inch scope. Galaxies on the other hand, are much more difficult and will be easier under darker skies.

If you have a smart phone, look for star map apps to help with locating certain objects. Start with the Messier catalog, before trying anything too difficult or dim. Printing out the list of Messier objects, and checking them off as you observe them is a fantastic way to become familiar with the sky and locations of objects. To obtain better views of deep sky objects, you'll have to turn to astrophotography. Taking long exposure images of these objects will reveal details invisible to the eye. It can be a very complex hobby, as guiding long exposures is very difficult, but it can be very rewarding in the end. Amateur astronomy is an amazing hobby, and I love seeing more people get involved. It just takes time and patience to master it. And of course, a larger aperture will no doubt enhance your views.

Originally posted by sneo664

If you have a smart phone, look for star map apps to help with locating certain objects. Start with the Messier catalog, before trying anything too difficult or dim. Printing out the list of Messier objects, and checking them off as you observe them is a fantastic way to become familiar with the sky and locations of objects. To obtain better views of deep sky objects, you'll have to turn to astrophotography. Taking long exposure images of these objects will reveal details invisible to the eye. It can be a very complex hobby, as guiding long exposures is very difficult, but it can be very rewarding in the end. Amateur astronomy is an amazing hobby, and I love seeing more people get involved. It just takes time and patience to master it. And of course, a larger aperture will no doubt enhance your views.

edit on 13-11-2011 by sneo664 because: Adding more notes.

Welcome here Sneo664 . Glad to see some more amateur astronomers here, hopefully you can help debunk some of the issues we keep on having on ATS, like the sun/the moon is not where it is supposed to be, and all the other giant planets that are so close to earth, that somehow us amateur-astronomers keep on missing, but then, ahhhh, we are all paid off by TPTB, etc